Genesis 5:1–32 (ESV)
This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created.
When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
How Should We Read the Text?
As we open Genesis chapter 5, it really seems like just a list of names and ages, but there’s a lot more going on here when we take the time to look at the detail.
This chapter, titled “the book of the generations of Adam,” traces a line from Adam all the way down to Noah. It shows us what happens in a world touched by sin and death, yet still under God's sovereign guiding hand.
Let’s notice a few details. First, the text recalls and reminds us that God creates mankind in his own image. He made them male and female, and then he blessed them. That reminder frames the rest of the chapter. Even though sin had entered the world, human beings are still image bearers. They still bear the image of God.
There’s a repeated pattern: someone lives, fathers children, and then dies. This reminds us that death’s grip—the curse of sin—is still there. It doesn’t go away, even hundreds or thousands of years later.
But the pattern breaks in some interesting ways. When we come across Enoch, he is described as someone who walked with God. He doesn’t die like everyone else in the passage—instead, God takes him. So even in the middle of the pattern of life and death that comes as a consequence of sin, we see that God can break the pattern. There is hope in Enoch’s story. Though the world is under the shadow of death and sin has cursed it, there is a hint that those who walk with the Lord have a different kind of life.
And then we come to Lamech, who fathers Noah. Again, the pattern breaks. He says, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” Even back then, when the world was more pristine than it is now, there was a deep longing for rest. The curse of sin, which even affects our work, creates this desire to enter into true rest.
So Noah becomes a second figure of hope in the story of the generations of Adam. Someone who might reverse the suffering that has spread throughout humanity. Even though the main idea is that death continues to reign and affect every person, death does not have the final word. God has given a promise that one day something will change—and perhaps Noah is the one to bring it.
As the story develops, we will see whether this is true.
How Should the Text Read Us?
Living in 2025 in the West, we can be tempted to skip genealogies in the Bible. We tend to think: this is ancient history—what does it matter to me? But this chapter is here for a reason. It causes us to think about the legacy we’re leaving.
Am I living rightly in light of the fact that death is real and certain? That is a question this passage forces us to ask.
We notice people like Enoch, who walked with God. We don’t hear much else about his achievements. No stories about him building cities or forging tools or creating music. We simply read that Enoch was a man who walked with God.
We live in a culture that measures value by accomplishments—how big are the cities we build, how impressive are our innovations. But here, Enoch’s short biography hints that the best measure of life isn’t whether you created something magnificent, but whether you walked in step with the Lord. That’s such a challenge—but also such an encouragement.
Are we cultivating a daily walk with the Lord? Or, like many of us, do we overlook God and our relationship with him through Jesus because we’re so focused on achieving the things we want to achieve in life?
We’re also faced with that unrelenting phrase: “and he died.” Genesis 5 shows us the true reality—no matter how great you are, you cannot dodge death. Each name ends in death (except Enoch). This causes us to reflect on our own mortality. The question is not “Will I die?” but “How does the certainty of my death shape the way I live?”
Scripture calls us to number our days. Proverbs tells us there is great wisdom in this. A healthy awareness of our death helps us see our deep need for God’s grace and helps us prioritise rightly. God is the only one who gives us hope.
Finally, we see Lamech’s hope as he names Noah. He recognises life under the curse is hard. The same is true for us. Life under the curse of sin is still difficult today. But we know that Noah wasn’t the one who would ultimately bring true rest and reverse the curse.
That happened when Jesus came.
So this story ultimately points us to the true rest we find in Christ. May it shape how we see our lives—even today.
Prayer
Dear Lord,
Thank you for reminding us in this chapter, Genesis 5, that we live in a world where death is real—but also in a world where your promise of rest is real. Help us to see Jesus as the one who finally beats sin and creates rest.
We pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
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